A wide variety of absorbent catamenial tampons have long been known in the art. Most commercially available tampons are substantially cylindrical in shape prior to use in order to facilitate vaginal insertion. It is well known that the vaginal canal is not smooth and linear, but rather is very contoured. Some digital tampons have tapered insertion ends to make insertion more comfortable. Others have flared withdrawal ends, presumably to provide a larger surface area for the user to push against during insertion. Nevertheless, the inventors of the present invention recognize that comfort and/or ease of the insertion of tampons is an important unmet consumer need. It is also important to have a tampon which is comfortable once inside the contoured vaginal canal. Additionally, it is desirable that the features rendering a tampon comfortable and/or easy to insert do not compromise, and alternatively even enhance the fluid acquisition capabilities of the tampon in use. Therefore, there is a need for new and improved comfortable shaped tampons. The shaped tampon aids in the insertion ease and/or comfort.
Accordingly, there is a need for a new and improved method of forming a shaped tampon. The present method has been developed which permits the tampon to have a curvature (or profile) that corresponds more closely to the curvature of the woman's vagina than a straight or parallel-sided tampon.